Beautiful
by Hidden Leaf xx
Summary: When Kakashi discovers troubling news, it becomes a battle of love and hate, an uphill fight for what's right and wrong and settling things straight once and for all.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I do not own Naruto or any of the characters involved. I only have fun with them.

**A/N:** Please be aware that this story is not at all cute and fuzzy, at least not until the end I suppose…Please enjoy. And with that said, here's **Chapter One** of **Beautiful**.

* * *

Hatake Kakashi took a long, calming drag of the cigarette perched between his index and middle finger. He had never been much of a cigarette smoker, but desperate times called for desperate measures when he currently didn't have his usual Icha Icha novel with him so he would just have to settle for the cheap stress reliever for this moment in time.

Personally he didn't like the smell of cigarettes, but he also didn't like the smell of the sterilized-smelling room he had been camping out in for basically the whole of five minutes. It was under bad circumstances, but weren't most circumstances involving a hospital bad, unless it was a child being delivered or something of the sort?

Being reminded of yet again why the infamous silver haired shinobi was even near a hospital in the first place, the stress of the whole situation was slowly creeping back through his veins and flooding throughout his whole being. Kakashi took yet another drag of the cigarette that was to be his last, and tossed it on the ground, not long after making contact with the ground with his foot to squash the worthless item.

"You really shouldn't be smoking around a hospital, sir. It's not very…how should I put it, smart?" An uncivil woman drawled as she shook her head in a dismissing way, walking straight past a very indifferent Hatake Kakashi. "Last time I checked, it was illegal."

"I'll keep that in mind, ma'am." Kakashi sighed, shoving his hands in his Jonin pockets. Sighing, the infamous ninja took refuge on a nearby wooden bench that lined the cement of the walkway to the automatic glass doors that led inside the lobby of the hospital.

Kakashi bent over, resting his elbows on his knees as he supported his chin in his fisted hands. Every so often, people walked in and out of the infirmary with looks of deep thought and concentration strewn across their faces like their loved one was in the worst, possible situation anyone could ever find themselves stuck in.

But in reality, being the father of a two week pregnant teenager was probably the worst situation he could ever find himself stuck in. A fifteen year old innocent, naïve, and very foolish young woman-_pregnant_.

Kakashi ran his large hands through his unruly, silver hair, messing it up even further than it probably already looked. How could this have happened? Kakashi was not an irresponsible father; he paid his bills, he kept his baby girl in Ninja Training, he went took as many missions as a ninja his age could, he kept food on the table, he kept himself and the one of two women in his life left that he actually cared about in a decent apartment in a decent side of town, and he even went to her Genin training sessions so he could watch his favorite girl exceed at something she was fairly good at.

Where had he gone wrong? What could he have done to keep this from happening?

And for a father to find out the way he had, that his Hatake Tashi was indeed pregnant, was maybe one of the most shocking ways he could possibly imagine without having another parent or friend come up to him and break the horrible news to him himself.

Tashi had left the dinner table, or what could be called a dinner table, at an alarmingly fast jump off her chair and sprinted off to the nearest bathroom. Kakashi had thought nothing of it at first, but when a small piece of paper flew out of her jacket pocket, he had been automatically curious. What was the harm of looking at a piece of paper? Tashi would be thankful Kakashi had found it instead of her thinking she had lost it.

All of the harm in the world.

Kakashi got the main gist of the small, crumbled piece of paper in a matter of seconds. It was issued from Konoha Hospital and it had his daughter's name and an official reading of a pregnancy test.

A _positive_ pregnancy test.

And at that exact moment, Hatake Kakashi's world fell apart.

"Daddy."

Kakashi glanced up from his reverie and there stood his girl, nudging his knee with her leg, who used to play with barbies instead of boys and used to drink fruit punch instead of hard liqour with her devious friends and well behind Kakashi's back. To her, when she was eight years old, getting high meant swinging on the playground instead of using other means and using protection meant wearing wrappings. Back then, the worst things she could get from a guy were cooties. The only things that hurt were worn out muscles from one too many hours of training and sex was something that only "married people" did.

But here Hatake Tashi, one of the prettiest and most beautiful girls Kakashi had ever laid eyes upon, had tears running down her angelic face and he knew right away that the nurse had only confirmed the worst of his and Tashi's fears.

Kakashi stood up like the father he only knew how to be and without a moment's hesitation, he wrapped his strong and forgiving arms around his daughter and held her tight to him as heaves and heaves of sobs wracked the petite, young girl.

This wasn't going to be easy but they would get through this, with or without Tashi's mother by their side.

* * *

_End of Chapter One/Prologue._

_Reviews? (:_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **In this story, Sakura was 18 when she became pregnant. So at this point in time, she is now thirty-three which makes Kakashi right around forty-seven. I hate how Kakashi is somewhat old in this fic but I am choosing to follow the fourteen year age difference which leaves me no choice. I apologize ahead of time.

Also, I realize that these chapters are somewhat short so far. I assure you this will all change in due time.

With that said, here's **Chapter Two **of **Beautiful**.

* * *

Haruno Sakura wandered the barren streets of a fairly large town in the Wind Country known as Notura. It was a relatively modern village with quite a number of people. The townspeople wore fashionable clothing which was much different than the small Konoha village Sakura had lived in for most of her life. Though the still fairly young kunoichi had lived here for some time, it still took time getting used to.

The buildings in this community seemed to stretch for miles into the blue sky, each of them very well close together. The atmosphere felt crammed and tight, something the pink haired woman was still trying to adapt towards. If Sakura had a choice, she would leave this place any day in exchange of going back to Konoha; the place where she had lived a great deal of her life. The place she would always call home.

Sakura wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck and folded her arms into her sides as the wind seemed to pick up around her. The climate of the Wind Country was much different then Fire Country and even with all the amount of traveling she did with her old team in Konoha, Sakura still could not adjust to the crisp air.

Finally stumbling to the grungy building she was looking for, the petite kunoichi sped into the large double doors and wanted to bask in the warmth that welcomed her. Standing in the entryway for a brief few seconds was all it took for a large, somewhat handsome man to greet her with a rather curious look strewn upon his chiseled, striking face.

"What brings you to the Vanity, miss? Though I already have a slight notion." The man grinned, ushering Sakura to follow him into a small hallway on his left. "Let's step inside my office."

The pink haired kunoichi reluctantly followed the man into a decorative office that housed magnificent furniture and red carpet with tinted gray walls. On these elaborate walls hung endless amounts of pictures of drop-dead gorgeous women who could make any man in this small world drool. Sakura knew at this point that she had no chance with these imposing girls and should save herself and this man a lot of trouble by walking right back out those wooden doors after she clarified her gut instinct.

"Do these women work here?" Sakura asked tentatively.

"A couple do, most have moved on to bigger and better things apparently." The tall man chuckled, coming off as arrogant as if there were no other better place to work than the "Vanity". "The girls who are graced enough to have made it on one of these walls were the cash reeling women. They knew what they were doing, let's just say."

_Unlike me._ Sakura thought helplessly, feeling more and more overwhelmed as the seconds ticked on. This was going against Sakura's every fiber of who she herself was today. She was a _ninja_. She was one of the best medic nins throughout the world. She had no business stepping through these doors but fate had left her no choice.

As Sakura gazed around in wonder, the built man who wore nothing less of designer garb took this opportunity to study and scrutinize the pink haired kunoichi. Sakura could feel his gaze washing over every ounce of skin she had and turned towards him with a small blush plastered on her face, feeling slightly intimidated and more and more uncomfortable as the seconds wore on.

"My name is Imashi. Sorry for my rude introduction, it's not everyday I have a girl like you coming in here." Imashi admitted, walking around the large wooden desk and pulling a small chair out for Sakura to sit in. "Please, sit."

Sakura understood very well what he most likely meant. In other words, it wasn't everyday that Imashi had an unexperienced, boring looking woman come in here with not a slab of makeup on and curves that seemed almost nonexistent. Realizing Sakura was probably making a fool of herself and did not want to embarrass herself further, she made a turn towards the door and mumbled a small apology to the man.

"I'm sorry, sir. I shouldn't be here-"

"What's your name?" Imashi's deep voice stopped her in her hasty tracks, causing her to turn around slowly and peep out an answer.

"Sakura."

Imashi gave a smile that could light up a whole town and caused Sakura's gut to clench in fascination at how beautiful this man truly was even though his contemptuous manner seemed encumbering.

"Well Sakura, when I said it's not everyday I have a girl like you coming in here, by that I meant it's not everyday an exotic, naturally beautiful and gifted woman charms me with their presence. Please, have a seat and let's discuss why you came here this afternoon."

* * *

Hatake Kakashi stood in the entryway of his daughter's bedroom, the hallway light seeping into the small space. Casting light on Tashi's face and a halo of light pink hair, the silver haired shinobi had to smile to himself. She was so much like her mother in the fact that she was beautiful when she slept.

Kakashi's smile melted away into a frown as he recalled thoughts of Sakura. His heart clenched in anger, hate and undying love every time he thought about her. It messed with his head daily because Kakash couldn't deny how he missed her more then he could ever remember missing someone in his whole entire life. Yet he hated every ounce of his being by missing her and craving her warm body next to his whenever he turned off all the lights and it was just he and himself in his large bed.

And he _hated_ it.

Why couldn't he just forget about the damn woman? Kakashi had every ability in the world to detach himself from people daily due to the profession of being a ninja and losing friends was part of the job. In the end it saved him from feeling continuous pain and agony. But why was Sakura so different? Why did Kakashi lack the discipline to forget about her and move on? She had caused himself, and more importantly, _their_ daughter, a great deal of pain. Maybe if she had stuck around, Tashi wouldn't have ended up-

"Dad, your staring again."

Kakashi's visible eye widened for a split second, realizing he had been so caught up in his thoughts he hadn't even noticed his daughter had awoken from her slumber. He really was truly losing his touch.

"Sorry, baby. Didn't mean to wake you." Kakashi whispered, making a move to close Tashi's door and exit off to his room to turn in for the night as well when Tashi's small voice stopped him.

"It's okay. I wasn't able to sleep anyways."

And at that moment, the tall shinobi smelled the scent of small tears that were slowly making their way down Tashi's smooth, pale face as a small sob escaped the young girl as she had tried to hold it in.

Kakashi was there in less then a second, sitting on the edge of his daughter's bed. He pulled her lithe body into his strong, comforting arms and rested her head on his hard muscled chest as he rocked her and wiped those streams of tears off her face.

The sobs wracked Tashi's body, making her convulse as pain and torment soaked through every pore of her being. Soaking her father's shirt in snot and tears went beyond her and Kakashi as Tashi choked out tears that seemed would continue for a while as the dam of hard built walls came crashing down.

"We'll get through this together, Tashi." Kakashi whispered softly into his daughter's cotton candy colored locks. They smelled like pure cherries, like someone else he knew...

"Dad?" Tashi asked, sitting up and wiping her tears as the sobs died down slowly.

"Hm?"

"Does mom ever send any letters or anything at all? Do you know where she is?"

Kakashi took his arms from around his Tashi's shoulders and folded them in his lap as he bent over his knees, trying to figure out the best way to word his next sentence without upsetting the girl next to him. He knew no matter how he said it that it was going to hurt Tashi and it hurt him as well. It was a sore subject and he didn't like to talk much about it but he knew Tashi had every right to know.

"Your mother left behind a letter the day she left Konoha."

The silence that came after was bone crushing. He felt Tashi perk up but it was nothing to get excited or hopeful about. In fact, it was the exact opposite.

"And?" Tashi urged on, her voice taking a higher octave.

"I'll just be blunt. She doesn't want to be found. Ever."

Kakashi knew the affects of his words probably had something to do with the way Tashi gasped, feeling as though she had just taken a powerful hit to the gut. He didn't know how else to be short and down to the point, causing as little torture as he possibly could. These were the times where Kakashi wished he had a rule book to go by. Even though he was trying to be the best father he knew how, sometimes the best intentions did not always appease.

Life just wasn't that simple.

"I know that she does love you-"

"Shutup." Tashi spat, venom soaking her voice as she stood up from her bed in nothing but a dark tanktop and small shorts. Even at fifteen she was not much taller than Kakashi sitting on the bed, bent over his knees not allowing eye contact to be made as the storm brewed before him.

Tashi's eyes were cold and deadly, a look she had most likely obtained from Kakashi himself. It was the look the infamous Copy Ninja gave his victims as they took their last breath. He had never known what it was like to be caught in a stare like the one Tashi was giving him now. Usual big sparkling, emerald eyes that could shine as bright as the sun now looked cold and poisoned, shooting daggers at Kakashi himself.

"How could you _even _say that?" Tashi bit out, her fists tightening and clenching.

"Tashi-"

"Shutup! You don't anything! You are so dimwitted and blinded by your own stupidity!" Tashi roared, chest heaving as the storm finally let loose and soon after the lightening would crack and set fire.

"Please, Tashi-"

"If she so called _loved me_, then don't you think she would've stuck around? Don't you think she would've wanted to be here?" Tashi cried, her voice becoming louder and louder as she continued. "You fucking defend her! After all this time! She has you under some spell because she doesn't fucking love me, love you or anyone-"

"Tashi!" Kakashi barked, suddenly standing up and causing Tashi to trip backwards in surprise.

"You don't know what your talking about and I will not sit here and have you patronize me. It may not seem like it and you may never understand but your mother loved you more then she loved herself. You were everything to her when she had you and will always continue to be, even if she isn't here now. You have no idea the reasons she left so before you jump to conclusions-" Kakashi tried to say but was cut off with a small whisper of his daughter before him.

"Notice everything you just said was past tense." Tashi darkly laughed, no amusement in the situation whatsoever. "Get out."

Kakashi stared into the short girl's deep green eyes, realizing that if he continued this conversation any further it would end up badly. He understood the importance of space and time but for some reason he didn't want to leave just yet.

"Tashi, please. Please just trust me. I know what I'm talking about."

"And like I don't?" Tashi said, cocking her head up towards the only man she had really ever had respect and true love for. Tonight, in the here and now, Tashi didn't know if she respected him all that much anymore. There he continued to fight and defend for the woman who left them without a goodbye, no promise that she'd be back.

"What don't you understand about getting the _fuck _out of my room?" Tashi snapped dangerously, an arm extended towards the door in a clear message as to what the young girl wanted.

With no further adue, Hatake Kakashi gave a last look to his fifteen year old daughter and strode out the door as quickly as he had come in. He knew that she was hurting yet it burned the silver haired ninja even more to see Tashi in such clear pain and not be able to help ease her distress.

This was something only time would heal.

* * *

_End of **Chapter Two**._

_Let me know what you think? _


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I know some of you readers are sort of confused as to what is Sakura's deal and the overall situation. This will be explained in the chapters ahead. Please just bear with me. The flash backs are italicized and are a few days before "Sakura left Konoha". There will be a lot of mystery in the following chapters. I don't want to just spoil everything right away in the beginning of the story. What kind of author would I be? Hehe. Use your imagination! That's what fanfictions are about, right? (:

You are all in for a major, **major **twist.

Sorry that my updates have been slow. I've been extremely busy with moving and whatnot. It's pretty stressful and quite depressing. Anywho, here's the next chapter. Enjoy! (:

* * *

"_How could you do this, Sakura? What did I do wrong?"_

"_Kakashi, please. I need to be alone."_

_The tall, silver haired shinobi's patience was already run down to his bare minimum and Sakura's cool answer had pulled the last straw that undid the Copy Ninja completely._

_Kakashi grabbed the pink haired woman's forearms with brute force and held her firmly against the wall behind her, her long cherry locks falling over her face as her head dipped down to her chest. She knew she was going to be reprimanded to say the absolute least. It would be easier not to look Hatake Kakashi in the eyes._

"_I deserve an explanation to say the least." Kakashi bit out coldly, giving Sakura a hard shake, a form of cooperative encouragement._

_The kunoichi remained motionless._

"_Look at me!"_

_Sakura turned her head to the side, her hair still obscuring her vision from the questioning man._

_The usual nonchalant and indifferent shinobi roughly grabbed the petite woman's chin and spun her face around to **make** her look at him in his discolored eyes._

"_Why?"_

_Sakura's chin quivered as moisture collected behind her thick lashes. Green orbs appearing extraterrestrial in such a beautifully, unexplainable way._

"_Why? And for how long, Sakura?"_

"_Kakashi-"_

"_Don't fucking cry. You have no right. No right."_

_And with a sudden disgust that crept over Kakashi like an incurable disease, he dropped hold of Sakura and watched her slide abruptly down the wall to the hardwood floor in a soft thud and fall on her small hands and knees._

"_You fucked him, didn't you?"_

_The petite woman bit back a strangled sob as tiny droplets of tears pattered the floor from under her._

"_Answer me!"_

"_It wasn't like that, Kakashi!"_

"_Don't. How long have I known you and you **still **think you can **lie **to me?" Kakashi scoffed, squatting to his knees as he firmly gripped Sakura's chin once more._

"_I'm not lying."_

_Hatake Kakashi chuckled darkly, inching closer to Sakura's face as he intimidatingly peered into her glossy eyes. Roughly wiping a tear from her pale cheek caused the small woman to look at the man before her in something close to surprise._

"_I am giving you one more chance to come out and tell me the truth, so help me Kami if you lie to me **one more time**."_

"_Please, Kakashi. Tashi's in the other room. Please, not right-"_

"_Should've thought about that before, sweet heart."_

_Haruno Sakura couldn't stop the small cries that escaped the small woman-couldn't hold back any longer. She now realized that if she told Kakashi the truth or pitiful lies, there would be consequences to pay. She now understood the meaning of "What goes around, comes around." But Sakura had not thought this rule applied in the Shinobi lifestyle. What certainly goes around does not usually come back around. _

"_How long." It was not a question, merely a statement._

_Silence._

"_Almost a year."_

_

* * *

_

Hatake Kakashi delivered the last punch of the sparring match that ended it completely, a loud crack that reverberated into the forest that surrounded Training Ground Seven.

"God Damnit, Kakashi!" Yamato groaned on the ground, his back to his Senpai as he rocked back and forth on his haunches with blood pattering his front in fast droplets.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to hit that hard." The silver haired ninja lied. He had been thinking about Sakura's revelation of only two months ago and the memory must have spiked some-okay, maybe a lot of extra adrenaline that caused him to lash out on his training partner.

"Kami, what is the _deal_? You've been acting like you have a stick up your ass for weeks, man. What's been up with you?" Yamato cursed, cupping his nose and failing miserably as blood seeped through the cracks of his fingers and poured down his front.

Kakashi turned away dismissively, walking around the training grounds to collect the kunai and shuriken that lay randomly on the Earth and stuck in trees. He was not going to engage in, yet again, another conversation to explain his up in the air behavior lately. It was no one's business anyways. He owed them nothing.

"Don't tell me it's got anything to do with Sakura running off. She made her own decisions to leave the village, Kakashi-senpai. You can't keep blaming yourself."

The Copy Ninja stopped abruptly, almost dropping the weapons as anger bubbled dangerously throughout his blood. His shoulders tensed with the hatred and stress that occurred every time he heard _her_ name.

The way Yamato spoke of the subject...like it was of no importance and something so easily to overcome and move on from. He had absolutely _no _idea what the hell he was going through. It wasn't just that his wife had up and left. It was everything that kept stacking on top one another. Kakashi founds out Sakura had been having an affair with another man for about a year. Then she disappears off the face of the Earth. Soon after he comes to find out his fifteen year old daughter is pregnant and ever since their late-night talk, things had been unsteady and inconsistent between them. And the fact that Tashi was pregnant made Kakashi realize that he went wrong somewhere in his parenthood and that disturbed him more then anything. He loved Tashi more than he could fathom and he couldn't even protect his own daughter.

The list never ended.

And no matter what everyone said about the woman of his life leaving, he _did _have involvement with her disappearance and he hated himself for it day in and day out. He was utterly disgusted with himself for those reasons and knew he couldn't take back what had happened that night. If he ever discovered the jutsu to teleport back into time, he would be absolutely famous and that was an understatement. He would rewind time in a heartbeat to take back that night and a whole lot of other occurrences in his past.

Nobody understood. Everyone thought Haruno Sakura had left on her own accord and in a way she had. Everyone blamed _her_ and was angry at _her _for leaving but they didn't know that the infamous Copy Ninja was just as much as fault, if not more. Now his daughter was pregnant because she reacted in harbored anger in a sexual way and now he would pay the price, dearly.

He held many secrets of that night and didn't know how or where to begin and who to tell. All Hatake Kakashi knew was that this was ripping him apart more than anything in his past and it was the worst feeling in the world.

"I need to go take a walk Yamato. Sorry about the nose. It's on me."

And with a puff of grey-blue smoke, the silver haired shinobi disappeared into oblivion.

* * *

Hatake Tashi sat on the playground swing outside of the Academy entrance, back hunched over as the swing swung in small, awkward movements. The fifteen year old girl had her gaze fixated on the ground with her arms hung over the cool, metal chains as she sensed a familiar presence approach her.

"Ne, Tashi-San! You seem a little put off. Anything I can help with?"

Tashi had to give a small smile as the Kyuubi Container approached her slowly, leaning on the side of one of the swing poles.

When you felt like you were carrying the weight of the world and that nobody understood you, there was no one better to cheer you up than Uzumaki Naruto. Just from his presence he could warm your cold bones.

"Unless you can bring momma back and a bunch of other things, yeah you could totally help."

The boisterous blonde gave a sad smile, scratching his mound of golden hair sheepishly as he took a seat from where he stood.

"Well I'm no miracle worker that's for sure. I'd bring your mom back in the blink of an eye but..." Naruto paused, a troubled expression dawning on his handsome features.

"I know Naruto-kun. I was just kidding. I know you can't bring her back. No one can."

Staring off into the distance to the trees that lay scattered beyond, Naruto couldn't help but think of a time in his past when Sakura, Sai and himself had tried to bring back a team member from Team Seven. It was a long and arduous road and it took more sacrifice than any of the three would've liked to admit but they did it. They brought their Uchiha Sasuke home. Back to where the lone man really belonged.

When Sasuke stuck around Orochimaru long enough to avenge his family by taking the life of his brother Uchiha Itachi, he had no more use of the legendary Sannin and finally surrendered to his persistent teammates. At the time, the only Uchiha left had no choice. His old comrades found him at the foot of his brother's unfamiliar body. Broken, battered and beaten almost to death is how Naruto stumbled upon his best friend and for a moment his whole entire world stopped as he saw the pain strewn across the man's face, his bloody hand still wrapped tightly around the tail of the sword that ended it all.

Upon first sight, Naruto thought he was dead. Gone. Passed. The usual loud and gung-ho ninja found that he couldn't breathe as he fell to his knees at Sasuke's side, not really believing what he was seeing.

Naruto faintly remembered Sakura whisper a "No" or something of the sort as she collapsed to Naruto's side, roughly shoving the blonde man away from Sasuke's body though he barely registered it.

"We are not too late." Sakura bit out, signaling a faint green glow of chakra to her fingers, pressing her nimble hands to Sasuke's chest. "We are not late!"

As Team Kakashi hopelessly waited, not expecting Uchiha Sasuke to rise from the dead, they were more than surprised and shocked to say the least when he chocked out a grateful reply of "Take me home."

The team was more than overjoyed as Naruto and Sakura cried together over Sasuke's body, Sai and Kakashi standing somewhat behind the two friends with heartfelt smiles plastered upon their faces. They had finally done it. Six long and enduring years later, they did it.

They brought their Uchiha Sasuke home. And home he gladly stayed, now that his ultimate goal had been completed.

Granted, the raven haired boy had huge consequences to pay for everything he had done and caused over the many years in his absence to the village. He was terminated his rank and was required to start anew, beginning with the simplest of techniques and methods of taijutsu and genjutsu, and slowly worked his way back up. Eventually he made Jonin and he remained that rank for a long while, perfectly content with his ninja status for now at least. He had considered joining ANBU at some point but that decision remained still up in the air.

He had paid the price greatly but from what little he belayed, he was happy to just be back with his best friends.

There were times in the dark and quiet of the night that Sasuke lay awake and second guessed his goal and "success"at finally beating his brother once and for all. People had warned him thousands and thousands of times that no amont of revenge would ever make a man feel wholly complete after so much loss and destruction. Yet he chose not to listen, too drunk on the imagined glory of seeing his brother take that last breath. He had dreamed of the day and never thought it would be accomplished but it had and Sasuke couldn't lie when he said what he felt was anything but glory.

If anything, he felt more empty and broken. But no longer was he haunted of Itachi's presence here on this Earth in here and now. Itachi only haunted him in his dreams now and Kakashi had told him once that, after time, it would eventually get better.

And it did.

But now, as Naruto sat on the soft grass as Tashi dabbed at the dirt on the ground with a small foot, he couldn't help but think of the irony of how much dedication and sacrifice Sakura had put forth to bring back a lost comrade. Now that lost comrade was her, struggling with her own demons.

It was bitter and unfair how the world worked sometimes.

Naruto would go through leaps and bounds to bring back the village's resident Cherry Blossom, anyone knew that. Haruno Sakura was the closest friend he had ever had, including Sasuke, and he was not about to let her self-destruct as well. He couldn't go through that again and he couldn't bear to watch Sakura go through it.

What Naruto didn't understand was that no one really seemed to want to bring the high spirited girl back home except for himself and Tashi. Not even Kakashi, who was Sakura's lover, seemed to want or need her back in Konoha. Sasuke remained indifferent and cool whenever the subject was brought up but this was nothing new coming from a rather indifferent and cold person to begin with.

No one really knew why the woman had up and left but Naruto knew that whatever the reason, it was serious and required further speculation from all angles. He was on a mission to find her and would not give up and would give every ounce of strength and conviction to bring her back, just as he had with Sasuke.

"Tashi, we _will _bring her back. I promise you this with every ounce of my blood."

* * *

_End of Chapter Three._

_I know you guys will probably have some questions and I'm ready to answer. Again, however, I will repeat myself: THERE IS GOING TO BE MYSTERY AND SURPRISE IN THIS STORY. I REFUSE TO SPOIL IT NOW._

_I think that's all for now. **R&R!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I just posted a one-shot not too long ago and explained the status of my other two stories: _Energy _and _New Beginnings_. I'm having trouble keeping up with my readers who want me to update at every possible moment but I find that this is hard to balance with three stories. I know this is my fault for posting three stories up around the same time, my apologies. I'm going to stick with one for now and it will be this one. The other ones are currently on Hiatus until further notice. Sorry, please don't kill me!

I had trouble trying to figure out how to start this chapter. I think I rewrote it a couple of times and I still don't know how I feel about it. I know I have a lot of things to explain but I want to do that as the story progresses. What fun is it to spoil everything right away? =P

* * *

Hatake Kakashi leaned against a tall tree in a vast clearing, his arms folded across his chest as the rain that poured down from the heavenly skies clouding his vision only slightly. He felt the cool drops seep down through his clothes, making slow and nimble trails down the skin of his back. The cold rain felt good in the heat of the summer. It was relaxing and soothing, the scent and sound of the relentless drizzle clearing the tall shinobi's head more or less.

It was days like these where he enjoyed making his way out to the cenotaph, the rain giving him a sense of peace and serenity that nothing else nowadays could provide. The Copy Ninja felt like he was carrying the weight of the world upon his shoulders and as the days dragged on, it was only becoming more cumbersome. Between discovering his fifteen year old daughter was pregnant and with Sakura having fled the village only weeks before, it felt like his world was ending slowly but surely.

Kakashi raked a hand tiredly through his soaked mane of silver hair.

"You look like shit, Hatake."

Said man did not have to turn his head to see who had approached him from the nearby trees. He had felt his presence long before he entered the clearing. Making his way over, Genma paused next to Kakashi as he eyed the cenotaph, signature senbon bobbing between his lips.

The two men stood in silence, feeling the weight of each others thoughts as the rain continued to pour down among them.

"Tsunade called for me today." Genma drawled, tilting his head up towards the grey sky.

"Hm," Kakashi grunted, already knowing where this conversation was going.

"Seems she wants you to come by and see her sometime this afternoon."

_Of course._ Kakashi thought to himself.

The rain was beginning to let up, the all too familiar blue sky of the Fire Country breaking through the overcast clouds as sunlight began to seep through the cracks and warm the Earth once again.

Genma clapped a large hand on Kakashi's shoulder before muttering a small "Things will turn up Kakashi."

And then with a puff of thick, grey smoke the senbon sucking man was gone, leaving Kakashi alone to his thoughts once more.

* * *

A soft knock on Tsunade's office door roused the Hokage from her moment of reverie of staring out the large windows and watching the rain turn into soft sprinkling. It was one of those unpredictable days that the Fire Country was all too familiar with. Sometimes the weather couldn't make up its' mind and today had to be one of them as the clouds seemed to dissipate before her very eyes and the sun lit up the small village once again.

"Come in."

With a turn of the knob, Kakashi let himself in quietly. He took a couple paces forward and stopped short Tsunade's desk. Stuffing his hands deep into his Jounin pants, Kakashi slouched into his trademark pose.

"You asked to see me?"

Tsunade folded her hands together on her desk as she looked down somewhere near the tall Shinobi's feet as she debated on how to broach the oncoming conversation. It would be a tender and touchy one for the both of them but it was long overdue and it was about time the curvy Hokage did something about it. After days of planning and exploring options to choose the wisest course of action, Tsunade thought she finally had a game plan.

Everything was set. The only thing left to do was to convince the man before her.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous to meet with you today, Kakashi." Tsunade started, finally glancing up at the sullen man in front of her.

Kakashi shifted his weight from one foot to the other, hands still buried in his pockets. He looked as indifferent as ever but inside it was a whole other story.

"This is something we probably should have talked about earlier. I know this is hard for you, Kakashi-"

"Tsunade-sama, what are you really getting at?" Kakashi interrupted, his shoulders beginning to tense under the strained atmosphere.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, pulling a piece of paper that entailed this mission's details sharply from the large, disheveled stack that lay strewn about on her desk that included unfinished mission reports and detailed descriptions of others. Expect the man to be nothing but straightforward and unequivocal.

"We need to get Sakura back."

Kakashi rubbed his hand over the crease of his forehead as if predicting an excruciating headache was on its way. He knew what he had been walking into as soon as Genma had admitted being called to see the Hokage earlier in the clearing of the cenotaph. He knew there was no escaping the sore subject but it didn't make it any less easier to engage in conversation about.

"Why do you need me?" Kakashi already knew the answer to his own question before it was even out of his mouth.

"I would rather not you be on board this mission. You're too connected to Sakura and I try to stay away from that as much as possible. With that said, you have some of the best tracking skills in the village and it is without question we get her back as soon as possible. Your tracking abilities are vital to this mission."

Kakashi was losing his patience and _fast_-what was left of them anyways. There was a large part of Kakashi that wanted to up and leave, pack a traveling bag and locate his wife and mother of his child as soon as could be but then there was another part that still felt hurt and numb in her decisions that she made for the good part of a year-not to mention her choice in leaving the village and disappearing. He still resented Haruno Sakura and he just wasn't ready to track down the woman who had abandoned her family and duties. For abandoning her village. It was all too fresh in his heart and mind and hearing someone ordering him that he find this estranged woman was all a bit too much at this point in time.

"Tsunade-sama, there _are _other people in this village with proficiency in tracking."

"You have never been one to so blatantly turn find a way around a mission in not going, Kakashi. I understand this has been a hard-"

The Copy Ninja reached the Hokage's desk in two strides, slamming his hands down hard on top her desk causing papers to scatter and fly off in a heap of white. Tsunade didn't even flinch when he made eye contact with the honey-blonde, his visible eye holding nothing short of pure anger and fury.

"You have _no _idea how hard it has been. Have you ever had to look your fifteen year old daughter and explain that her mother up and left with _no _letters-no nothing of when she might return and come home?" Kakashi snapped, his voice as a cold as ice as his breathing began to pickup with the intensity of the situation.

"Kakashi-"

"I haven't even told her the reason as to why Sakura left. 'Yeah, Tashi...about your mother leaving? Well she's been having an affair with her childhood love for about a year now. Just thought I'd let you know, sweetie.'"

"Kakashi, please just sit down-"

"I _refuse _to hurt my daughter like that. She's already broken enough. I don't need to add more to her plate. She already hates me enough as it is and I will be damned if it is me who tells her. And I will be damned if I accept this worthless mission. I'm done here, Tsunade. Find someone else who's up for wasting their time trying to find a selfish woman who doesn't even want to live here."

And as swiftly as Kakashi had entered those doors, he made the same exit making sure to slam the heavy wooden doors shut behind him, rattling the room in his departure.

Tsunade just sighed to herself, opening the drawer to her right and pulling out her handy Sake, popping the cap and chugging it bottoms up. She knew Kakashi was adamant in not accepting any mission pertaining to finding Haruno Sakura but she didn't think she would have gotten such a response from the normally collected and nonchalant man. Perhaps he was hurting far more than what anyone gave him credit for.

Tsunade felt bad for the silver haired shinobi. It wasn't everyday when you found out that the so called love of your life had been having an affair with Uchiha Sasuke for almost a year, give or take. Let alone disappearing completely from the village without a word to anyone.

She understood where the man was coming from. With that point made, she needed her apprentice back _now_. If Sakura had been prepared to cut all ties with all teammates and friends from Konoha, then she was a potential danger to the village in carelessly or purposely giving away vital information or worse-even becoming an enemy of the Leaf and joining ranks with another group of ninja. Tsunade liked to think that Sakura was not one to go so far as to land herself in the infamous Bingo Book but it was not a risk she would be willing to take. Sakura had been close to Tsunade and she had access to information that the standard ninja did not. Despite everything, Tsunade was still the Hokage and had a job and responsibility to uphold. And if that wasn't reason enough, then the fact that the girl had become almost a daughter figure to her was. She loved and deeply cared for the pink haired kunoichi. It was a terrible and scary world for rogue nin and Tsunade knew Sakura did not deserve a world of constant battle and cold indifference that that life could only provide, even with the shallow and utterly stupid decisions she had made. Tsunade was not pleased with the mistakes and pain she had caused to those affected by her choices. Yet everyone makes mistakes at one point or another-some worse than others of course. But as long as Sakura learned and grew from this experience than she could work for forgiveness over time. Granted things may never be the same or return to how they used to be, but abandoning your village was not the option to take. It was taking the easy way out and Tsunade could not-would not settle for that. Not from any apprentice she coached.

The fact remained the honey-blonde needed to bring Haruno Sakura back home-to where she really belonged. There was no other way around it.

Tsunade would give Hatake Kakashi time but he would be going on this mission, whether he liked it or not. It was not a matter to be discussed or argued. He was going. Yes there were other ninja with decent tracking skills but nowhere near as capable as Hatake Kakashi. He would cut the time in finding Sakura in half, at the least. And frankly, Tsunade was short on ninja adequate and suited enough for this particular mission. She had quite a few teams already on missions who wouldn't be back in time enough to leave, Neji and Hinata-other outstanding trackers-on those teams. The Hokage already had configured a potential team in locating and bringing Sakura back.

Hatake Kakashi was on that team.

Tsunade would give him one day to rethink things over and if he was still against it, then things would have to get difficult.

But she was not going to back down on this one.

* * *

Haruno Sakura was surprised to say the least when the moment she entered the hotel room door and closed it shut softly behind her, she was met with such an overwhelmingly bittersweet semblance. She was so startled with the fact that the man before her had decided to go out of his way to chase her and track her down all the way from the Fire Country to Wind with who knows what intentions at mind, though Sakura had an idea or two. Seeing Uchiha Sasuke before her sent shivers up and down her spine and not in the pleasant way. Not anymore at least. She wanted to run to him yet escape him all the same.

It was intimidating to see the man whom Haruno Sakura had had an affair with for the better part of a year.

"Why do you smell like smoke and liquour?" A cold and indifferent Uchiha Sasuke asked, leaning against the small wooden desk that faced up against the wall parallel to the door.

The pink haired kunoichi sighed, walking carefully around the tall man to set her traveling bag down on the single bed in the room near a window that overlooked the barren city outside. The room was high up from the ground and from this vantage point Sakura could see other tall buildings across the street that seemed to stretch for miles into the cloudy sky. This was a town that was more or less built up and packed together than spread out like the village Sakura had grown up and lived her whole life.

"Why are you here, Sasuke?"

"I could ask you the same thing. You have no business being all the way west into Wind Country. You also aren't on any missions and I know this for a fact. The more I think about why you're here the less sense it makes." Sasuke spoke calmly, his voice sounding always so smooth.

The petite kunoichi half turned towards the man regarding her, eyes still focused on nothing in particular beyond the window.

"I had no choice. I had to leave Konoha, Sasuke. I dug myself a hole from the beginning of it all. Back then I thought I could cover everything up, masking my trail wherever I went. But along the way it got to a point where I forgot what lies I was telling to who. It was only a matter of time. It caught up with me-us."

Sasuke walked towards the large window, sidling right up next to Sakura and looked down at her sideways from above.

"It didn't mean you had to leave."

"Yes it did."

"How?"

"My daughter and Kakashi. It mostly had everything to do with them." Sakura whispered softly, wiping a hand over her eyes as if this conversation in and of itself was exhausting. In every way it was. This was a conversation she didn't want to share with anyone because the more she said it aloud, the more official and real it all became.

Her life crumbled in her own hands at her own undoing.

"I would think since because of your daughter, it would have given you the willingness to stay-"

"Sasuke you don't understand." Sakura cut off sharply, the stress and tension of the past couple of days finally wearing on her. It was almost funny having this discussion with Sasuke because there was so much that was just totally and completely _wrong _with it. For one, the man shouldn't even have known where she ran off to. It was insulting to her every fiber of being a ninja. She couldn't even mask her own damn trail. The ninja that Tsunade would be sending out shortly, if she hadn't already done so, would surely catch onto her trail and she would look all the more of a fool. Secondly, the man who had caused her world to self-destruct was before her-in her own hotel room trying to possibly comfort her? Maybe talk some sense into her in coming home? It didn't even make sense! He should want her to stay away from the village after everything. A select few people knew about the fallout and word would be spreading fast around the small village and all the respect Sasuke had worked so hard in achieving after finally returning to the village after so long of lusting after his brother's revenge would all be for nothing. People would seethe at him when he walked by. Kakashi would be looking for a way to draw this man's blood on the sidewalk, to say the least.

And here he was. Telling her to come back home as if she had only hit a bump in the road. As if this were something that could easily be fixed and forgotten of. It was quite the opposite. If Sakura had any intention of going home, every person around her would frown upon her actions. People would belittle her and think disgusting things about her and not give her the time of day. Even Ino would be shocked out of her mind to have known Sakura had engaged in something so scandalous.

Not to mention ever looking in Kakashi's and Tashi's direction ever again. Sakura had spoilt every child's dream of having the perfect family and cut any net of safety in the image of the all-loving family. Where they loved each other happily ever after. Nothing was wrong and nothing would ever be wrong.

Yet Sakura had to go and tarnish even that. Her _family. _She had to go fuck around with an Uchiha who really didn't give a flying fuck what the outcome of this situation was. He only wanted her to come back now because it would save him the time and effort instead of losing her trail later and searching endlessly. He never cared about what people thought of him in the first place. So when people started talking and understanding, he would have nothing to lose.

Haruno Sakura, on the other hand, had _everything _to lose. If she hadn't already lost it.

It hurt. It hurt like a kunai to the heart that never alleviated. The things she cared about the most in her life were gone. Her love from Kakashi-gone. Her love from Tashi-gone. The love from her friends and superiors-gone. The love for herself-_gone._

She missed Tashi so much. Everytime Sakura thought about her bubblegum haired daughter, tears would come to her eyes and it was all she could do to stop the dam from breaking. And when she thought of Kakashi, that usually was the straw that did her in.

He would _never _forgive her. Not now, not ever.

"I think you should leave." Sakura whispered once more, the tears threatening to fall with the blink of an eye.

"Sakura-"

"Leave, Sasuke."

"Tsunade will classify you rogue-"

"I don't care if Tsunade considers me rogue or missing! My mind was made up the night I left. I'm not coming back and if I have to fight you, then so be it. Get it through your thick skull! _I'm not going back._" Sakura snarled, the dam cracking and the walls dissolving as the entirety of the situation poured over her bones.

Sasuke continued to peer down at the broken girl before him, trembling and shaking with the effort in holding back her emotions and tears as he observed the tears that slowly ran down the length of her smooth, pale cheeks. He wouldn't fight her. That was the last thing he wanted. He knew all too well from experience that sometimes leaving the home you once knew so well was an important step of the journey. Sasuke didn't understand clearly Sakura's motives in staying here but it wasn't much of his business anymore. She had made it all too clear that anything they had had ended the night she departed Konoha. He couldn't tell her to do something she had no intentions of doing. He wasn't in the shoes to do that anymore. The combination of both their actions had landed them in the mess they found themselves stuck in now. Sasuke would never really consider this Cherry Blossom his enemy, no matter what the Hokage decided to classify her as and no matter what decisions Sakura made from here on out. He had caused her life as she knew it to crumble and cave in around her, causing madness to ensue and boil over as the misery of it all sunk her under. He would leave if she really wanted him to because he owed her that much and by the looks of things, she wanted him gone and out of her life.

So with the caliber of one who had experience of this area of life, without another word, Uchiha Sasuke was truly gone.

And only then did Sakura let herself break down and cry.

* * *

It was one of those rare and somewhat humorous nights when Hatake Kakashi found himself drowning in his own misery with his teammates as he carefully watched Tashi drown herself in her misery with her teammates. If someone had thought this was unruly parental behavior, no one said anything. The life of ninja was far different than civilian life and their days were limited. Not knowing when you would need to sacrifice your life for the better sake of the village, each day was precious. If you could sacrifice your life to the village at age fifteen on Jounin status, Kakashi had no problem allowing his daughter a couple of drinks here and there.

The thought of Tashi being almost a month pregnant never much occurred to Kakashi as the drinks kept coming. But even in his hazy state of mind, he was the ever watchful father. As long as she stayed with her girl friends, all was well.

The silver haired shinobi had yet to find out who the damned boy was who had impregnated his girl. He did not push Tashi for answers, knowing all too well an argument would surely ensue in its wake and with the demeanor that rivaled her mother's, he was not willing to set himself up for immediate failure. There was something about girls from the ages of fourteen to seventeen that made him steer clear of picking any fights.

But when Hatake Kakashi found out who this unlucky boy was, he was sure to kill him without question. It wasn't Kakashi's fault that he was extremely, if not insanely, protective over Tashi. You knew you were a good father if you despised any boy or man who approached your daughter, even if it was within complete reason. Yes ninja lost their virginity at young ages but just imagining Tashi partaking in sexual behavior at fifteen-perhaps even earlier-caused the Copy Ninja to tense his shoulders and clench his jaw in unadulterated anger, refilling yet another shot of something strong that burned as it went down his throat.

"Hatake, take it easy man. You know how I feel about carrying you home every night."

"Genma, shutup and pour me another shot." Kakashi muttered, lifting the headband over his Sharingan as the room became too blurry for just one single eye to take in. He noticed that people were starting to file out of the bar, accompanied in groups of three or four or even just singles as people began to turn in for the night to greet yet another dutiful morning. Damn, was it that late already?

"Did you see Tsunade today? You know that woman will beat your ass if you keep skipping out on seeing her." Genma singsonged as he leaned in close to Kakashi, the noise of the quaint pub still quite loud and boisterous.

"There goes Tashi with that one dude I always see her with-"

Kakashi sputtered his drink, coughing up hard liquor and spitting it across the table as he stood up abruptly from his seat in the back and scouted the entrance and exit of the bar. Sure enough, he could see the familiar color of pink before slowly disappearing into the night accompanied by a large man who had the fucking balls to wrap an arm around her waist as he led her in the complete opposite direction of Kakashi's apartment.

"Oh shit, Kakashi don't do anything stupid." Genma slurred, tumbling out of his seat as he realized it was too late. The man had the speed of unnatural talent that Genma still had trouble grasping and understanding, even drunk he was quick and nimble.

Kakashi had the look of murderous intent as he threw open the swinging wooden doors, exiting into the cool and crisp air of the night. Making a sharp left he sped towards the direction he saw the two take off in and halted when he came across a small and narrow alley.

There he saw Tashi up against a wall with that man she had left with, all too close and personal for Kakashi's liking. It liked as though they were talking but did two people really have to be so close just to have a conversation? And did the fumbling boy _really _have to hike up a girl's skirt just to speak to her?

Kakashi moved faster than he could account for and his actions were on overdrive as he reached them in only a couple of strides. Ripping the man by the scruff of the neck, who was assaulting his daughter in the most disgusting of ways, he threw him hard against the opposite wall, pulling a kunai from his thigh holster. Holding it roughly against the boy's neck and even drawing a small trail of warm blood down his jugular, Kakashi got right up in his face.

"What the fuck do you think your doing?" Kakashi's tone was menacing and caused the boy to shiver and tremble underneath his firm hold.

"N-Nothing! We we-were just talking, Kakashi-san!"

"I'm giving you three seconds to leave and if I _ever _see you around my daughter again, I will gut you so fast you won't even know what just happened." Kakashi seethed, tossing the man out of the alley as the boy stumbled and fell to the ground. Turning his head in paranoia, the boy quickly ran off into the night to never be seen again.

"Tashi, we're going home." Kakashi said with such finality with no room for argument.

"Who do you think you are-"

"Tashi!" Kakashi all but shouted, whipping towards the small girl with rage laced in his words and posture, the affects of the alcohol slowly dissipating with the fury and impatience of the situation.

Glaring daggers at her father, Tashi elbowed him harshly in the gut as she jumped to the rooftop and began the short trek back towards home, leaving her father to lean up against the dirty brick wall and and calm his beyond rattled nerves.

The silence enveloped him as the the chaos vanished into thin air leaving Kakashi feeling spent and more tired than he had felt in ages. The silver haired shinobi hadn't realized how much it had cooled off during the night, seeing white puffs of air rise from his mouth.

Kakashi limply slid down the length of the wall as he drooped his head into his arms, caging his face inside his own embrace. He knew he had fucked up big time just now. He understood that he was slowly furthering himself away from Tashi and if he didn't learn to quit making petty mistakes it would get to the point where she would never forgive him for the things he did and then remission would be out of his grasp forever. What she didn't understand was Kakashi had good intentions at heart, they just came out wrong and astray. He knew he couldn't chase off every boy that came running to his daughter for the sake of saving her. Tashi was on her way to becoming a woman in less than three years and was Kakashi going to scare off men then too? He knew he couldn't keep her protected or sheltered forever, especially with Tashi being a Jounin now. Already she had been exposed to so much. There was only so much that could be preserved when you became a ninja-a warrior and tool for the sanity and protection of the village. Losing your innocence and chastity became just a fantasy or dream that you looked back on years after losing them and wondered if life could have been any different.

How were fathers supposed to learn to let go of their offspring? How were fathers supposed to learn to allow their children to form their own path in life without completely shutting them in the dark? Kakashi hadn't realized how much and how deep the love and care he had for Tashi went until he felt as if both their world's were crumbling and falling apart around them. He still didn't know how far that love stretched for, only that it was a distance Kakashi had no hope of reaching. The tall shinobi just wanted to rise above all of this holding his daughter's hand and being able to say "We made it."

With a loud sigh the silver haired Copy Ninja reluctantly stood, knowing he should get back soon and talk with Tashi about what had just transpired. Kakashi knew this was something he could not put off and this had to be done as soon as possible if he wanted to make a heartfelt amends.

So without further word, Kakashi darted into the crisp night air with the mindset of not screwing up once again.

* * *

**A/N:** Is this a good ending to this chapter? I didn't know how to end it but I think this gives me a good start to my next chapter. Let me know! Constructive criticism is wanted!


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